


My Condolences to You

by Zipties_and_Tripods



Category: Left 4 Dead 2
Genre: After the Parish, Gen, Mostly from Nick's POV, Warning for choking, warning for blood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-11-11
Packaged: 2018-01-21 02:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1534112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zipties_and_Tripods/pseuds/Zipties_and_Tripods
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Continuing on after The Parish.<br/>What the hell are they supposed to do now? That chopper was their last chance out of this hellhole and now it's gone. More than just their situation is changing and Nick is going to need to step up and start acting less like a conman and more like a protector.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In a Mood

**Author's Note:**

> This was the very first fanfiction I _ever_ wrote! This was started around the beginning of my freshman year of high school (2010) and the first few chapters are a little rough as it took me a while to find my writing style. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> This began on FanFiction.Net and the first twelve chapters were transferred from there.

The four survivors had been through hell to get here. Thousands of zombies had stood between them and safety and thousands of the undead had fallen before the barrels of their guns. But the safety they had fought so hard for was gone, The wreckage of the helicopter slowly sank beneath the water until just the tip of a single blade showed.  
"God damn you, Jimmy Gibbs Jr.!" Nick shouted, cursing the stock car driver he seemed to blame everything for.  
"Now see, that was just uncalled for." Ellis replied, giving him a wide-eyed look, "If anything, damn that Tank over there." He pointed at the corpse of the mammoth infected. By the time the survivors had reached the end of the explosion torn bridge, the Tank had been hot on their heels. All four had scrambled into the heli, the ramp had been shutting, the Tank had been howling in rage. The bird was ten feet in the air when the chunk of concrete slammed into its side. Nick, had pushed Rochelle out of the near closed ramp then dragged Ellis with him. Coach had followed close behind. The survivors landed hard ion the concrete. The Tank roared in pain as a piece of shrapnel from the spinning blades caught in full across the chest, slicing him open and killing it. For this, they were thankful. The meager amount of bullets they had combined with their injuries would have meant a hard fight for the four, one they would have surely lost.

"Well, what do we do now?" Rochelle asked, leaning against Coach for support. She was favoring her left leg. Nick turned and threw up his hands in frustration, "The same thing we've been doing for weeks, surviving! We've got to find somewhere to hole up now, get you off that leg and you," he pointed to Ellis, "we need to get that arm bandaged."  
Ellis nodded and looked at the wound on his forearm, courtesy of a Hunter's claw. "I guess I should be thankin' that guys bad aim! He jumped hisself right off the side!" He said with a small laugh.  
"Alright people, let's get out of here. No sense in standing around." Coachs' deep voice said. They gathered their fallen weapons and supplies, Nick cursing, again, when he couldn't find his second pistol.  
Ellis walked to Rochelle, turned, and crouched in front of her, "Hop on up Ro."  
"Ellis, sweetie, you don't need to do that. I'm fine, really!" She took a step to demonstrate but her ankle failed her and she nearly fell to the ground. Ellis sighed and literally threw her onto his back, she weighed so little lately.  
"Young'un you can't be doing that with your arm." Coach said to him.  
"Oh it's all good. I don't even feel it anymore." Ellis smiled happily and started walking after Nick, who was already storming away. Coach rolled his eyes at the happy twenty-three year old and followed.

They walked nearly an hour before encountering the infected again. Nick and Coach picked them off easily. Nick, as always, using more ammo than Coach.  
"I don't know how you are such a bad shot," Rochelle said to the conman from Ellis' back, "it just doesn't seem to fit with your character."  
Nick scowled and stalked ahead. "I'll look around in these buildings ahead for supplies."  
Coach gave him a sharp look, "Now Nicholas, don't be going off on your own."  
"It's fine Coach. I'll stay on the ground floors and signal every, let's say three minutes?" he demonstrated the four note tune that had come to be their call for anything. Nick turned and jogged into a building ahead without waiting for an answer.The remaining three glanced at each other uneasily, but continued their slow advance down the street. When Nick was in a mood it was usually best to let him work through it whatever way he wished.

Nick searched through the stores that lined the street. The odd set-up of the buildings enabled him to go from one business to another without exiting back onto the pavement. Each store had a door leading into the adjacent one. He quickly found a few cans of food that had rolled under the shelves probably during the chaos of evacuation. These he put into his backpack. Food was always nice but right now they needed medical supplies.

He whistled the signal and continued into the next space.

Rochelle, Ellis, and Coach relaxed a little upon hearing the whistle just a couple of doors ahead. They stayed alert for any noise from the infected and walked on.  
Nick continued on like this for a while, methodically searching then moving on. He found little after that first store but what he did get was useful nonetheless. An unused pack of batteries for their flashlights, a box of jumbo flashlights, and miraculously, a small stash of pistol, AK-47, and shotgun ammo were all under a loose floor tile. Clever, he thought, almost didn't see it. He whistled again and squeezed himself through the broken door that joined the two stores. He swept his flashlight over the dilapidated shelves and tables. This place had been ransacked harder than the others.  
I should probably go back outside; Ellis is going to need a rest and- HOLY HELL!


	2. The Witching Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *phew*  
> I've had a super, super busy summer! I'm moving into my dorm next week so I'm going to post a couple chapters this week as I'm not sure how much time I'll have!

_I should probably go back outside; Ellis is going to need a rest and- HOLY HELL!_

Nick nearly dropped his flashlight, but steadied it before it slipped from his fingers. Noise was now his worst enemy.  
The Witch sat motionless, silent in the corner of the room. She stirred slightly as the beam flashed wildly around the room, but stayed curled up with her head buried in her knees.  
Nick stood frozen not ten feet from the skinny special infected, his heart beating erratically. There was absolutely nowhere for him to go. The way he had come would be near impossible to go back quietly and the floor around him was littered with broken glass.  
  
 _Shit, shit, shit!_ He realized with growing dread that there was no way for him to warn the others. When they didn't hear the signal they would come looking. Nick could picture Ellis, happy Ellis, charging through the door. He could hear the screams of the Witch as she ran to the mechanic, her arms spread wide, ready to slash him to ribbons.  
Nick shuddered at the thought. He renewed his searching for an escape route. The distant four note whistle tugged his stare to the cracked, half boarded window.  
 _Shit._  
  
"It's been over five minutes." Coach said, a tone of worry in his voice.  
"Maybe he jus' forgot?" Ellis asked. He had set Rochelle down on the ground and twisted, cracking his back.  
Rochelle leaned up on the brick behind her, "Nick doesn't forget things. He'll ignore you all day, but he wouldn't forget."  
Ellis stopped his stretching and whistled loudly.  
  
No reply.  
  
The three looked at each other, and through unspoken agreement, started back down the street; this time with Coach carrying Rochelle and Ellis leading with his pistols at the ready.  
The street was quiet and empty, save for their footsteps and the decaying body of an infected here and there. Coach stopped in front of a half destroyed electronics store. "About here is where we heard the signal last."  
"Well alright then! Let's get lookin!" Ellis started into the building. He hadn't taken two steps before Coach's hand clasped his shoulder, "Hold on there son."  
"We don't know what's in there. Nick might be hiding from something," Rochelle said from her spot leaning on a street sign, "or something might be waiting for us."  
"We need to take this slowly and quietly." Coach agreed.  
Ellis nodded and near silently, (which was a feat in itself for the man who did nothing quiet) pushed open the door.  
The store was, of course, ransacked of everything of value. Ellis did a quick scan then motioned for the others to follow. Coach put Rochelle in the middle as it would be easier to protect her from any infected.  
They moved swiftly through the stores without any sign until Ellis spoke up, "Look there he is!" he said cheerfully, "Well why is he jus' standing there?" He moved to call to Nick.  
  
Nick stood frozen, his muscles starting to cramp. He had never felt so helpless in his life. Not when both his parents would come home drunk, not when his wife left him, not even when he had been cornered by a Tank back in Savannah. During those times he had options. Here he had none.  
He swore when he heard Ellis' Southern drawl behind him.  
  
The beam of the flashlight caught the Witch full in the face. Her red eyes snapped open and an earsplitting scream emanated from her throat as she charged at the young man.  
"Oh shit man! Run, run, run!" Ellis yelled. He peppered the charging the Witch with a burst of gunfire and leapt out of her way.  
Nick ran through the twisted metal remains of the door, the Witch had batted it aside as if it were made of styrofoam. "Let's go Princess." He hurried Rochelle out the door.  
  
"Ellis!" Nick turned back to the scene in the store. The mechanic was doing a fine job avoiding the Witch. He jumped from shelf to shelf as if they were stones crossing a river. He had managed to get a few more rounds into the Special but not enough to do damage.  
Ellis jumped again, narrowly missing the swinging claws of the Witch. He heard Nick shout his name and shot a quick glance to him already knowing what he needed to do. He waited until Nick had gone through the door to make his move. Ellis jumped right over the Witch's head with a whoop and sprinted after Nick.  
  
He was hallway out of the store when he felt an odd tugging sensation from his left shoulder down to his right hip, followed by an explosion of pain along the same path. He cried out and fell the rest of the way to the ground.  
Nick and Coach unloaded everything they had into the Witch as she stood over the downed man. With a final screech she crumpled to a heap before she could slash at Ellis. Rochelle, Nick, and Coach hurried to the mechanic's side. Rochelle gasped as she witnessed the full extent of his wound.  
  
An angry slash stretched from shoulder to hip. The claw of the Witch had sliced clean through Ellis' t-shirt and his skin and bright, red blood streamed from the wound. His shirt and the ground underneath him becoming soaked.  
"Good lord…" Coach said quietly from behind her.  
"Nick! Give me something! We have to stop the blood!" Rochelle yelled to the conman. He was way ahead of her and set to work on the opposite side, giving her a role of gauze as well.  
  
Rochelle noted with panic that Ellis was no longer concious.  
 _No! He can't die! Not like this!_ She screamed inside her head. _He's only twenty-three. He doesn't deserve this!_  
She threw the soaked gauze behind her and pressed her hands to the cut.  
"Come on kid, not today." Nick mumbled. Coach stood above them, keeping an eye out for any infected and mouthing a silent prayer.  
  
"Looks like you folks need some help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Much Needed Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stranger shows up offering help to the survivors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so hard to write and has gone through A LOT of revisions! 
> 
> I'm going to be moving to college (AHHHH) on Monday. So, there is definitely going to be a lull in posted chapters in the next week or two! I will for sure try my best to get at least one chapter out every week and will shoot for that to happen on Saturdays!

"Looks like you folks need some help."  
Nick looked over his shoulder to the source of the voice. A tall man stood there. His jeans were worn and dirty; the leather jacket he wore was cracked and faded. He surveyed the group in front of him, his pistol held loosely in his right hand. The face of a little girl peeked out from behind the man's legs, her eyes wide.  
"Yes! Please help!" Rochelle said desperately. She had no idea who this man was but she also knew that without help, Ellis wasn’t going to make it. The four of them hadn’t found a decent health kit in weeks and she was on her last roll of gauze.  
The man strode over, the child right on his heels. He crouched down and started rummaging through his bag, “This is a whole lot of blood. What did this?”  
"A Witch." Coach replied.  
"A what?"  
Coach pointed to the infected lying on the concrete.  
"Ah, the crying ones." He handed a thick pad of cotton to Rochelle, "Here, put this on it, lots of pressure now." Rochelle nodded, throwing the bloodstained gauze behind her and taking the pad. The stranger stood and tapped Coach on the shoulder, "Hey big guy, help me get some plywood off of this building. We've got to move the kid somewhere safe."  
They worked fast, pulling down a board from a window. With help from Nick, they moved the unconscious Ellis onto the makeshift stretcher, Rochelle keeping pressure on the cotton.  
"Alright, follow me. I found a safe room not too far ahead." The little girl, who had been silent the entire time, reached for the strangers hand and grabbed his fingers, sticking close to his side. She glanced back to the survivors every now and then with wide, blue eyes.  
"Is this really such a good idea?" Nick said quietly, readjusting his grip on the board. “We don’t know who this guy is, we can’t trust him.”  
"Seems to me," Coach said over his shoulder, for he was carrying the front, "that we don't have much of a choice. We need his help if Ellis is going to live through this."  
"I don’t like this.” Nick grumbled.  
Rochelle stayed quiet, her eyes glued to Ellis and the hastily taped bandage on his back. She was nearly running to keep up with the boys. Her ankle hurt like hell, but she ignored it and focused on moving forward.

_Please be ok._  
________________________________________  
The stranger had told the truth. Barely five minutes had passed when the red steel door came into view. He ushered them all inside before shutting and barring it. "Set him down anywhere." He said.  
Nick and Coach gently placed the board in the middle of the room being careful not to jostle it around too much.  
"Here Alex!" The little girl appeared from a room, dragging a backpack with both hands.  
"Thank you girlie." The stranger, Alex replied. Moving quickly he produced a bottle of antiseptic and more cotton pads. He set to work, removing the makeshift bandage on Ellis’ back and beginning to clean it.  
Rochelle, knowing she would only be in the way, slipped into another room without notice.

Rochelle sat huddled in the corner of the dark room. The only light came from the doorway through which she could see Ellis' boots and part of Nick and Coach as they assisted Alex.  
She could never stand the sight of someone close to her injured and this one was especially bad. When Nick had gotten torn up by a Hunter she hadn't felt nearly this bad. Of course, Nick had gotten up and shot the already dead infected a dozen more times, swearing enough to turn even Ellis' ears red.  
 _Ellis._  
Her eyes teared up when she thought of the young, happy-go-lucky mechanic. No matter what happened to them, he never complained and when he did it was to Nick to annoy him. Ellis was always trying to cheer everyone up, even if it was at his own expense. Just an hour ago he was carrying her when he was injured. That must be why she felt so horrible. Ellis was different from Nick or even Coach; he was young and seemed so much more innocent.  
"Your friend looks kinda like my brother; his name is Jamie." A little voice poked through Rochelle's thoughts.  
The girl sat herself down and leaned against Rochelle as if it was something she did every day. "My mommy and daddy named us so we rhymed. Jamie, Hailey, Jamie, Hailey."  
Rochelle found herself smiling slightly as the girl rambled on.  
"Alex is helping me look for Jamie. He thinks he's in the camp back across the big bridge, but since it's broken we have to find a different way across," Hailey looked at Rochelle, "Where are you guys going?"  
Rochelle blinked at the question. Where were they going? She didn't have an answer to that. All of their hopes had been riding on that helicopter and when it went down, almost with them in it; their hopes had been crushed and drowned. All the four had done for the hours after that had been wandering what was left of the city.  
"Well I don't really know hun." She said, "I don't know."  
"Maybe you can stay with me and Alex!” Hailey exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with excitement, It'd be awesome to have another girl, Alex doesn't know how to do hair." Hailey crinkled her nose and pulled at the snarled brown mess on her head.  
Rochelle grinned, "Here, I can help with that."  
"Really?"  
"Of course." Being mindful of her ankle, Rochelle crossed her legs and pulled Hailey into her lap. She then rummaged around in her bag until she found the hairbrush she had salvaged from a house.  
"It's my favorite color!" Hailey squealed, pointing at the bright pink handle.  
Rochelle smiled again and then set to work getting the knots out of the girl's hair, grateful to have something to distract her.  
"What's your name?" Hailey asked after a moment.  
"Rochelle."  
"Rochelle. That's pretty. What about the big man?"  
"We call him Coach."  
"And the mean looking one?"  
Rochelle stifled a giggle, the girl already had Nick pegged, "That's Nick."  
"And the one who looks like Jamie?"  
"That must be Ellis." Rochelle replied quietly. Hailey heard her tone of voice and turned to face Rochelle, not caring that her hair was pulled. "Alex will make him better! He's really good at that! I remember when I fell off my swing set at home and scratched my knees all up. Alex made it stop hurting _really_ fast!" She beamed.  
Rochelle couldn't help but smile back. "Alright. Now turn back around, this is going to take a while."  
________________________________________

Nick kneeled next to Ellis. The guy, what had his name been, Adam or something, had just finished pulling the edges of the wound together with butterfly bandages.  
"All we can do now is wait." Coach said, putting a hand on Nick's shoulder.  
"You moron," Nick said to the unconscious boy, "You got blood all over my suit!" He stood and looked down, dismayed at the red streaking down his legs. Coach smiled and slapped him on the back, "Good to know you care Nick."  
Alex looked confused at the exchange and downright shocked at Nick.  
"If he hadn't said anything about his suit, I would have booted him out the door!" Coach clarified.  
"Uh-huh…" Alex said, still lost. He busied himself with washing his hands in a small bucket of water.  
"Alex, Alex, Alex! Look what Rochelle did! She brushed my hair _and_ put it in a ponytail!" Came a voice, interrupting what Nick was about to say.  
 _Alex. That's what it was._ He thought as the little girl came barreling out of a room.  
Alex stooped and caught her, easily picking up the thin child. "Well look at that. Very pretty." He tugged on the end of her ponytail. She giggled and slapped at his fingers.

Nick looked to where Rochelle stood, leaning against the door frame. Her eyes were locked on Ellis, at the neat line of bandages.  
"How is um…El, El…" Hailey looked to Rochelle for help.  
"Ellis." Rochelle supplied, softening her gaze when she looked up.  
"Right, Ellis!"  
"He’s doing fine.” Alex told her. He smiled at the girl, “I see you’ve already made friends.”  
"Rochelle told me all about them!" Hailey exclaimed. She squirmed until Alex set her down. She walked over to Coach and looked up at him, craning her neck to see the tall man, "You're Coach," She turned to look at Ellis, "This is Ellis!"  
Then Hailey walked to Nick. She put her hands on her hips and stared him down, "And you're Nick. You should be nicer." There was a stunned silence as everyone stared at a little girl telling off Nick. Nick the conman, Nick the man who took no one’s crap.  
Nick met the little brat's gaze. Who did she think she was? She didn't even know him! He was ready to tell her a thing or two about being _nice_ when Coach's booming laugh distracted him.  
Nick glared at Coach to see him doubled over, hand on his knees, laughter shaking his large frame.  
"Woo Nick!" he said between laughs, "Twenty minutes and she's already got you down!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)


	4. Awakenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of things have happened since I posted the last chapter!  
> I'm all moved into college and classes are kicking my butt. Hopefully I can get a few chapters up a week as I work through the backlog that are ready for revision.

_Did that Witch kill me?_

It was like he was floating. There was nothing to grab and even if there had been, he had no arms to grab with.  
 _No, I can’t be dead,_ Ellis though, _Dead people don’t hurt._ For while he was unaware of a body, he was aware of pain. All of it was concentrated in one area, but it wasn’t too bad. It was hard to remember much of anything. There was a heavy fog covering his mind, slowing down thoughts. What had happened? There had been the store, a witch, and screaming. He could picture Rochelle’s face above him, tears in her eyes.

            Then, voices gently floated through the fog in his head.

_Ro? Nick?_ Ellis struggled to make out words but the noise was just too muffled. _Damn it. What’s the point of being awake if ya can’t move or nothing?_ Ellis tried focusing on the voices again. This time he could just barely made out Nick, complaining about something.  
 _Ugh!_ He was so frustrated. _I can’t move, I can’t talk, this sucks!_ He yelled inside his head. Above all else, the pain was there, overpowering everything else. It was just there and it kept drawing his attention no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. It was like the time his buddy Keith told him not to think about pizza. Well o’ course then he couldn’t stop thinking about the stuff! Man, he ate three pizzas that day. Ellis’ fingers curled thinking about holding the slice.  
            Wait, his fingers? He tried moving them again. Yes! The feeling in his body was coming back to him. It was going at an agonizingly slow rate, starting with his fingers and toes. Gradually, he could sense his calves and thighs. Then his arms and shoulders.  
           Finally, he could feel everything; and oh man, did it hurt. His back was on fire Burning and stinging as though it was being jabbed with a thousand needles over and over again. Any move he made, no matter how small, made it flare up and stop his mind from working.

            “Ellis? Nick, I think he’s waking up!”  
            He forced open his eyes and squinted at Rochelle crouched in front of him. It took him a couple tries but then, “Hey Ro.”

* * *

 

            Nick looked over at Ellis from his spot watching out the safe room door then sighed and returned his attention to the darkness outside. Night had fallen a few hours ago and the group set up a watch schedule; Tanks don’t always conform to normal sleeping hours.  
            He watched outside carefully. He could hear the hacking cough of a Smoker somewhere off in the distance, along with the demented laughing of a Jockey. The hacking cough of a Smoker came from somewhere off in the distance along with laughter that he could only assume came from a Jockey.  
           _Damn Jockeys._ He turned away from the door to survey the main room. Ellis still lay on his piece of plywood. They had tried to get a blanket between him and the wood, but Alex had warned them not to jostle him. Instead, they settled for draping it over Ellis’ legs.   
           Coach slept propped against a wall, his arms crossed and head tilted back. Rochelle was nearer to Ellis, sleeping on her side a few feet away. Hailey and Alex had claimed the room off to the side. He was about to turn back to the door when he heard a yawn and saw Rochelle stirring. She sat up and stretched before getting to her feet and making her way over to Nick.

            “Need a break?” she asked.  
            “You know, you should have what’s-his-face look at that.” Nick gestured to her ankle, which she was still favoring.  
            “It’s Alex and I’m _fine_. I want him to focus on Ellis.” Rochelle replied.  
            Nick looked at her sternly, “You can suffer for him Rochelle.”  
            She fidgeted, “I know, it’s just…I feel like if he isn’t the only one hurting then it won’t be so bad. You know? Maybe I could-,” she broke off; tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.  
            Nick put a hand on her shoulder. He knew how she felt. He would _never_ admit it, but seeing the kid like that reminded him of how vulnerable the four of them were. They had been lucky so far. Lucky they hadn’t been killed getting that psycho his cola. Lucky that Virgil had gotten there before the Tank destroyed the entire Burger Tank restaurant. Lucky that Coach hadn’t been killed when he was pulled off the second floor of the sugar mill by a Smoker.

            Plus, Ellis had sort of grown on Nick since they met. Another thing he would never admit.

            Rochelle and Nick stood side by side and watched out the window. The noise of the infected had faded away leaving only the faint sound of crickets. There was no light, save for the moon and the subtle glow a single lamp provided.

            Suddenly, Rochelle stiffened and looked over her shoulder, “Nick, did you hear that?” she hurried over to Ellis and crouched in front of him, concern written all over her face. “Ellis?”

            Nick followed, “I didn’t hear anything.” He studied the kid and saw his eyelids twitching erratically.

            “Nick, I think he’s waking up!” exclaimed Rochelle.

            Nick breathed a silent sigh of relief as Ellis’ eyes opened and he greeted Rochelle with a gravelly voice.

            “Hey sweetie, how ya feeling?” she said, relief obvious in her voice.          

Ellis groaned, “Like a truck ran over me.”

            “Well you did get taken out by a chick in her underwear.” Nick said with a smirk, “That’s probably about as close as you’ll ever get. I’m not surprised you took it so hard.”

            “Nick!” Rochelle said.

            “What?”

            Ellis looked back and forth between them, completely confused, “I don’t get it.”

            “Of course you don’t kid.” Nick rolled his eyes. “I’ll go get what’s-his-,” Rochelle gave him a look, “Fine. I’ll go get _Alex_.” He scowled and walked into the room Alex used to sleep. Nick nudged the sleeping man roughly with his foot, “Hey!” Alex simply rolled over.

            This time, Nick more or less _kicked_ him in the back. “Hey! Wake up! Ellis is awake   and-,” Nick’s breath left him in a whoosh as his back hit the floor. He felt the cold edge of a knife against his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)


	5. Fears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with chapter 5!  
> This one has undergone heavy revision in its existence and even now, I'm still not super satisfied with it. Hopefully you enjoy it!

"Hey! Wake up! Ellis is awake and-," Nick's breath left him in a whoosh as his back hit the floor. He felt the cold edge of a knife against his neck.  
"Nick?"  
Nick looked up and saw Alex blinking sleep out of his eyes. "Oh shit!" Alex quickly got off of Nick and grabbed his hand, hauling the conman to his feet. "Shit, sorry, you uh, kind of freaked me out there.”  
Nick rubbed his arms where the other man's knees had pinned them, knowing there would be bruises later. "Where did you learn to do that?"  
"I was in the army you know, before all of this.” Alex gestured to the safe room. “You’ve got to sleep light to stay alive sometimes.”  
Nick nodded once. "Well uh, anyway, the kid's awake. Figured you should take a look and see how he's doing."  
Alex sighed, “Hey, I really am sorry. Hailey and I, we were in this house a week or two after it all started going to hell. This guy snuck in while we were sleeping and grabbed her, demanding our food and my gun. He had a knife to her throat. There was nothing I could do.” He rubbed his neck, “I don’t exactly sleep soundly anymore.”

“It’s fine. I understand.” And he did. Nick and the others had had their fair share of experience with looters and the other desperate people they had encountered. There had been nights where they went hungry.   
But still, Nick couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Alex had put him on the floor with barely any effort. They still didn't know much of anything about the guy but they were forced to rely on him for help. _He's just too dangerous. As soon as Ellis can handle it, we're out of here_.  
But where would they go? CEDA was long gone and New Orleans had been the last place they knew to look for the military.  
 _Maybe back north? To the bridge?_ He wondered if the three they had found there, Louis, Francis, and Zoey, were still alive and holding out. Or had they found their boat and left for the Keys?

Nick yawned and swayed on his feet, he needed some sleep before thinking anymore about this. He went back to the main room to check out what was happening.  
Coach had taken over watch and greeted Nick when he saw him, "Damn Nick, you need some sleep."  
"Tell me about it." Nick looked to where Ellis was laying. The mechanic had fallen asleep again, a fresh bandage stretched across his back. Rochelle and Alex conversed quietly above him.

Nick quietly grabbed his pack and slipped into the last unused room in the safe house. He took off his suit jacket and folded it into his bag before collapsing onto the thin mattress. He sighed in relief at finally being able to lay down.

His head had barely hit the ratty pillow before he was asleep.

* * *

 

A week passed before Ellis could sit with help and another before he could stand and take small steps. He took everything in stride and pushed himself as hard as he could without injuring himself more.  
Hailey had taken a liking to the 23 year old. She asked him to play with her every chance she got. Ellis didn't seem to mind. He seemed to genuinely enjoy having her around.

"Alright, not you fold here to make part a' the wing."  
"Like this?" Hailey held up her piece of paper.  
"Try to get it more even with the other side." Ellis pointed to where he meant.  
"'K."

Nick who was sitting in the corner made a noise of frustration and stood, "I am getting _sick_ of this place! I'm going to look for supplies." He picked up his pack and threw it on his shoulders.  
Everyone fell silent and looked at him.  
"What?" He asked the silent room. "We _need_ them; we have to start stocking up again if we're ever going to get out of here."  
Coach stood from his own seat next to Rochelle and brushed off his pants. "He's right. We don't have much left. We'll both go."  
Rochelle looked uncertain but then sighed, deciding it wasn’t worth it to argue. "Just please be careful." She said.  
"We'll be fine," Nick told her, "It's not like we haven't done this before."  
"Just don't do anything stupid, ok?" Rochelle replied.   
“Careful Rochelle, it’s starting to sound like you actually care about me.” Nick teased.  
Rochelle punched him in the arm, “As if. I just don’t want to lose that rifle, you didn’t climb a tree to get it off a dead guy.”

"Hey! If you guys find any paper, bring it back! This girl's a natural!" Ellis said and Hailey giggled.  
Coach laughed and unbarred the safe room door. "Alright, let's get going so we can get back before dark."  
Nick followed him out and waited until he heard the bar slide back into place before heading into the street.

The street was mostly deserted, the hot afternoon sun driving the infected to cooler places. But that didn’t mean much. A little sun wouldn’t stop a Hunter.

"I know exactly where to go." Coach said suddenly. “Saw it on our way in.”  
"And where would that be?”  
"You should be able to see it in a second.”  
The rounded a corner and Nick stopped in the middle of the street. "You can't be serious." He looked at Coach incredulously, "A _gated_ community?"  
Coach shrugged, "Gate's still closed, doesn't look like anyone's home."

"Exactly Coach, the gate is _closed!_ That means anything inside has been _trapped_ unless there was some sort of incentive to climb the wall. That place will be crawling with zombies!"

Coach spoke sternly, "That is the best chance we got for finding everything we need. Anything out here is going to be gone. Rich people have big houses which means big pantries. Plus, we're in the South. If it's one thing people like in the South, it's their guns."

Nick crossed his arms and turned away, acting like a stubborn child, “Hell no. It’s too big of a risk. Remember what happened last time we dealt with a gate?”

Coach softened his gaze, beginning to understand, "Nick, it won't be like last time." He said gently.

"You don’t know that." Nick closed his eyes, images flashing through his mind.   
The house had been big and seemed empty. Most importantly though, it had looked untouched. They had gone inside, looking for food that they desperately needed. They were too hungry and got careless, splitting up too far from each other. A Smoker had dragged Nick out of a broken window to the garden below. It’s tongue wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air supply and preventing him from yelling for help. He used his last bullet to get rid of the special infected. The Tank hadn’t been far behind. He had been cornered, his back up against a locked gate and with a Tank barreling down on him. Nick had been alone, completely alone.   
The others had gotten there with only seconds to spare.

"We'll be fine Nick. We've got ammo and,-"

"You don't know that!" Nick exploded, "Look around Coach! You can't predict _anything_ here! We've all proved that! Hell, three weeks ago we were running across that godforsaken bridge pretty sure we were getting picked up by the military!" He stopped and stared at the big man in front of him, breathing hard. His outburst surprised the both of them. It had been months since he had spoken to Coach, Ellis, or Rochelle like that.

Coach stared back steadily, before turning and continuing to walk down the street.

"Where are you going?" Nick demanded.  
"I'm going to that neighborhood. You can head back to the safe room if you want." Coach said without turning around.  
Fuming, Nick turned on his heel taking a few steps in the opposite direction.  
 _I can't let him go alone_. He stopped. _Rochelle would kill me._

With a sigh, Nick started after the other man.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	6. Scavenging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah! Two chapters in one day?
> 
> I got this one done pretty quickly and it's a short one, so why not?

It took about fifteen minutes to get to the ornate, black gate that protected the uninhabited homes inside. The two peered through the bars, looking for any infected that were too close.  
"Let's see if we can push it open." Coach said. Nick grumbled in agreement and braced his shoulder on one of the bars. Coach did the same and together they pushed as hard as they could.

The gate didn't give so much as a squeak.

"Over the wall it is then." Coach said, sounding less than enthused. "I'll boost you up."  
Nick nodded and stepped into Coach's interlocked fingers. Coach pushed him up and Nick caught the edge, pulling himself the rest of the way. Once he was situated, he offered Coach his hand.

After much grunting and swearing both men were up on the wall.

"How you manage to stay that heavy is beyond me." Nick said.  
Coach smiled and hopped off the wall, "It's all muscle." He flexed his arm as the conman landed beside him.  
Nick barely heard him as he was distracted at the scene before them. " _Shit_." He breathed.

Most of the places they had been were half destroyed by fire or infected. Others had been cordoned off by CEDA and the military, leaving behind ghost towns made of plastic and sandbags. This was an entirely different story.

Everything was nearly untouched. Cars were parked neatly in driveways. Front doors were shut and drapes tightly drawn. There were none of the rushed, haphazard signs of evacuation they were used to seeing. The only indication that the homes were even empty were the overgrown lawns. It was silent and eerie, the wind making no noise as it blew between the evenly spaced homes.  
Nick rolled his shoulders and swung his rifle off his back. He took a step forward but stopped when Coach held out a hand.  
"Hold on a second. I got something that might make this a little easier." He reached into his bag and pulled out a towel wrapped object.  
"No way," Nick said when Coach held up the glass jar. "A bile bomb? Where the hell did you find that?"  
Coach grinned, "Picked it up as we crossed the bridge. I never got a chance to use it." He held it out to the conman next to him, "You want to do the honors?"  
Nick took the glass jar and weighed it in his hand. "Chase this you zombie bastards!" He let the grenade fly.  
  
The glass shattered in the middle of the street, a good 50 feet ahead of them.

"Nice throw." Coach commented.  
Before Nick had a chance to respond, a sound they knew all too well reached their ears and broke the silence; the sound of a horde catching the scent.  
The infected came from everywhere. Most sprinted around houses, some stood up from the grass they had been hidden in, and a couple crawled out from the drained pool near the clubhouse. All of them bunched around the broken glass, clawing at the air and the other zombies around them, trying to get a hold of the scent.

Nick and Coach shot into the horde, careful not to use more ammo than they needed to. It was only a matter of seconds before all the infected lay dead in a pile.  
"That was easier than I thought it'd be." Nick said, glancing at Coach.  
"Probably wasn't the whole neighborhood. That should have cleared out enough to search around here though." Coach replied, “We should move quickly though, that wasn’t the most subtle thing in the world.”

The two survivors set out for the nearest house, still wary of their surroundings.  
Nick cursed when he tried the front door. "Why would you take the time to lock your door in the zombie apocalypse?"  
"They thought they were coming back." Coach said simply.  
"Oh, right."

Coach broke the small window next to the door with the butt of his gun. It sounded shockingly loud in comparison to the quietness that had settled back around them. He reached inside and opened the door. They stepped inside and let it swing shut behind them.  
The house was dark despite the bright afternoon sun, the heavy drapes blocking much of the light. A thin layer of dust covered the furniture and decorations.  
Coach stamped his foot and they both waited, seeing if any infected would come running.   
None came.  
"Alright," Coach said quietly, "I'll look for the kitchen. How 'bout you look for medicine and maybe some clothes. Lord knows we need them."

Nick looked down at himself and grimaced. His once white suit was now streaked with dirt and blood. The blue shirt he wore under his jacket was ripped in several places and threadbare in others. The jacket itself had long tears from encounters with Hunters and the fall he took down the hill behind the Whispering Oaks Motel.  
"You're right. Damn. I love this suit."

Coach chuckled and took a few steps down the entry hall. "Ok here's the stairs. Kitchen has to be around here somewhere…" His voice trailed off.

Nick took the stairs slowly, with his gun at the ready. He didn't really expect anything to be waiting for him, but he had learned to never let his guard down.  
The first door he tried turned out to be a bathroom. He raided the medicine cabinet and found a single bottle of aspirin. _Better than nothing._ The drawers under the sink yielded a couple of unopened toothbrushes and unused toothpaste tubes.

Next were the bedrooms.

The first was obviously a little girl's room, pink _everywhere_. The walls, the floor, even the curtains had a pink tint to them.  
Nick immediately turned and went back into the hall. Then, thinking better, went back into the pink nightmare. The closet had plenty of clothes to choose from. He picked a couple at random and got out of there as fast as he could.

The master bedroom was incredibly easy to search. The two closets had clothes for Rochelle and Coach. Nick grabbed t-shirts and jeans for each. _Please don't let her take this the wrong way._ He thought as he dropped a bra and underwear he chose randomly into the backpack. A quick search of the attached bathroom gave him some more aspirin and a tiny emergency first aid kit.

The four notes of their signal floated up from the downstairs.

Nick left the room exactly how he found it, minus the clothes and some footprints in the dusty carpet.

"I was right," Coach crowed as Nick descended the stairs, "Big pantry! Bunch of cans, some crackers, bit of cereal, we are good!"  
Nick couldn't help but grin back, "I found clothes for you and Ro, nothing for Ellis or I though."  
"That's fine. We'll just go across the street, bound to be something, somewhere for you two." Coach replied.

Nick nodded and together they exited through the front door and jogged across the street to the next house.

* * *

 

Three houses later the two had found plenty of food, two more first-aid kits, clothes for everyone, and even a precious store of bullets. They decided to hit one more house before heading back to the others.  
"He had to have been stealing from the military or something!" Nick exclaimed as they walked to the final house, "Pistol ammo, _that_ I can understand having, but M16 and AK-47 bullets?"  
"And you're against stealing from the army?" Coach asked skeptically.  
Nick snorted, "No. I want to know how he did it."  
Coach smiled and tried the front door. "Huh."  
"What?"  
"The door's unlocked." Coach responded. "All the others have been locked right?"  
Nick said, "Maybe they forgot to lock it when the evacuation started?"  
Coach shrugged, "Probably." He pushed open the door.

Nick walked backwards over the threshold, making sure no infected were watching them enter. He froze as he felt the barrel of a gun jab into his back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	7. Lessons in Survival

Nick walked backwards over the threshold, making sure no infected were watching them enter. He froze as he felt the barrel of a gun jab into his back.  
  
"Shut it. Then turn around with your hands up."

"What is this, _Cops?_ " Nick asked sarcastically, but did as he was told. He saw a man, a woman, and a teenage boy standing in the hallway. All three had a guns pointed at the two intruders.

"Well, this is interesting." Nick remarked, breaking the silence.

"Shut up!" The man in front of him commanded. Then, in a normal tone, "Rachel, Thomas."  
The woman clicked on the flashlight attached to her pistol and shined it directly at Nick.

"Ah! What the hell?" Nick shut his eyes and turned his head from the glare, "What's wrong with you?"  
"Nicolas," Coach said warningly.  
"I mean, really? Two people walk in and you point guns at them and blind them? A couple months ago that would have been fine, but _now_ when you're surrounded by freakin' zombies? Damn." He rubbed at his eyes, trying to erase the spots in his vision.

The man looked taken aback by Nick's reaction. "We, uh, were checking to see if you were infected."  
There was a beat of silence then Nick burst out laughing. Even Coach chuckled.   
"A flashlight?" Nick asked incredulously, "Where did you get that from, a movie?"

The trio looked at him, embarrassed looks on their faces. "They say that their eyes will tell you," The women, Rachel, said slowly, "on the CEDA broadcasts."

"Well, they _are_ right about that, but it doesn't take long to change." Coach told them, "You won't have time to test someone who's been bitten when they are right in front of you like this."  
"How do you know?" The teenager, who the man had called Thomas, asked him.  
"I've seen it. Took about five minutes." Coach replied, looking him in the eye.

Nick nodded, remembering the woman they had found at Liberty Mall.

She was huddled in the bathroom with a freshly dead zombie at her feet. The crescent shaped bite on her arm stood out like a beacon on her pale skin.  
Rochelle gasped and immediately left the room, tears already on her cheeks.  
"Ah, hell." Ellis followed her out.

"Coach," Nick said as the big man approached the woman.   
"It's fine Nick, she's still got time." He knelt down and gently took her hand.  
"Please," She said brokenly. Her voice was thick with tears, "don't let me turn into them. Please."  
"You could be immune." Coach told her, a reassuring smile on his face. She hiccupped and looked at him, "I'm not. I-I can feel it. It's like fire all over everywhere."  
"Coach," Nick said, "her eyes." He shined his flashlight at her face. She flinched, but not before they saw the clouds that had already begun to form.  
"Please." She repeated with a small sob.  
Coach sighed and pulled her to his chest. "It's all gonna be fine now."  
"Thank you." Her words came out in a strange sort of hiss and her hands curled into claws.

The gunshot echoed through the bathroom.

 

"Why are you still here?" Coach's voice broke through the memory, "Did you miss the evac?"  
The man laughed darkly, "The CEDA evacuation? I wouldn't trust those guys with a cold."  
"We decided to stay. The army gave us rations and said they'd come back after two weeks to check up on us." Rachel said.  
"How long’s it been?" Nick asked.

"Almost a month." She replied quietly.

The three lowered their guns, deciding the two in front of them were not a threat and the man held out his hand to Coach, "I'm Brian. This is my wife and son." Coach shook it, "You can call me Coach and this is Nick."  
Thomas eyed Nick, "A suit?"  
"Don't knock the suit. It may be the apocalypse, but I still have standards." He huffed.  
"Whatever." The teenager turned and walked further into the house.

Rachel rolled her eyes at her son then looked at Coach and Nick, "Do you need somewhere to stay? Something to eat? They gave us plenty of rations." She leaned against her husband.  
"Actually we have to get back into the Quarter before it gets dark." Coach told her, "We've got people waiting on us."  
The couple in front of him looked surprised, "More people?" Brian asked. "How many?"

"Three adults and one little girl." Coach replied.  
"We didn't think there was anyone left in the city." Rachel said, her eyes wide.

Nick glanced out the window to the setting sun. He shifted uneasily on his feet. "Coach, it's getting late. We've gotta go."

Coach sighed and scratched his head, "Do you want to come with us?"  
Nick looked at him sharply, protests already forming. He opened his mouth but Brian cut him off.  
"No. I may not trust CEDA, but I do trust the army. They'll be back." He said confidently, hugging his wife close.

"Well, alright then," Coach said, "But be careful. Don't go out unless you need to, no lights after dark, and make as little noise as possible. We cleared it out around here but it probably won't take long for them to move back in."  
"That was you?" Thomas asked as he came back down the hall with a water bottle. He stopped next to his mother, "You guys sent them all running?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah that was us." He paused for a moment, considering his next words. "Another thing to do, watch for Specials. They don't look like the normal ones. You'll know 'em when you see 'em. If you hear anyone crying, leave them _alone_. She'll tear you apart in a heartbeat." A picture of Ellis flashed through his mind.  
"If you see one that could flip a car, they can. Find somewhere to hide and stay there." He continued ignoring the shock on their faces, "Coughing, laughing, growling, anything other than the normal sounds mean something that can really make life hard.  
"Just try to use common sense and you'll be ok."

Nick gave them a quick nod and turned to the door.  
"Wait! How do you know all of this?" Rachel asked him.  
"We've lived it." He opened the door and stepped out into the humid evening.

Coach looked after him and looked back at the bewildered family. "Remember what he said." Coach told them, "Thank you for the offer, stay safe."

He hurried after Nick.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	8. Lifted Spirits and Dropped Guards

"You know, that was a good thing you did," Coach said when he caught up to the conman, "telling them about the specials."  
Nick grunted and readjusted the straps on his backpack.

The two walked in silence until they reached the gate. After a bit of searching, Coach found a manual unlock that allowed them to push the gate open.  
As they pulled it shut, Nick stared back into the empty community, "Why would they stay? How can they think the army is coming when there are bombs falling from the sky?"  
"Maybe that's what's keepin' their hope alive," Coach replied, "They know the army is still around, so they're hoping they remember them."  
Nick shook his head again, "I just don't get it."  
Coach clasped the younger man’s shoulder. "Ah well, no sense in worrying about it. Let's just get this stuff back to the safe room."

* * *

 

Ellis looked up when he saw the flashlight beam sweep across the window. "They're back!" He got to his feet too fast, wincing as he felt a twinge in his back, and hurriedly unbarred the door to let Coach and Nick in. He shut it tightly behind them.  
Rochelle appeared and smiled when she heard the solid _thunk_ the bags made as they hit the floor.  
Alex and Hailey walked out of the bedroom they shared. Hailey put on a stern expression when she saw Ellis. "Hey! You're not supposed to walk anymore today!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him back to his pile of blankets.  
The others stifled a laugh as the little girl instructed Ellis to sit and then arranged the blankets around him into a nest like arrangement. "There. Now no more walking!"  
Alex turned from his niece chuckling lightly, "She's definitely sticking to a schedule. Anyway, how'd it go?"  
Coach grabbed the pack that held the clothes they had found. "Pretty good. We got plenty a' food, a bunch a' first-aid kits, and," he reached in and pulled out a black t-shirt and army green cargo pants that he tossed to Ellis, "Clothes for everyone!" Ellis caught the clothes and grinned.  
Coach handed Hailey hers, who squealed when she saw the color, "Pink!"  
Rochelle took the offered bag once Coach had taken his own clothes out. She looked in and blushed.  
Nick grimaced and looked away, embarrassedly rubbing his neck.  
Rochelle softened and punched him lightly on the arm. "Thanks for thinking of that." She went to go change, Hailey following after her.  
"Alright, how do I look?"  
Coach, Nick, and Alex turned to Ellis. While they had been passing out the rest of the clothes, Ellis had managed to completely change.  
"Kid, we got you the pants so you didn't have to wear the overalls anymore." Nick said, slightly annoyed.  
Ellis was standing, moving his arms and legs to make sure everything fit. His ripped and bloodstained Bullshifters shirt and filthy jeans were balled up in the corner. The new cargo pants were covered by his mechanics overalls, the sleeves ties around his waist to keep them up. "They're like a sleepin' bag," Ellis told him, "they're warm."  
Coach shrugged, "Whatever keeps ya happy I guess." He went into his and Nick's room to change.  
Nick waited until Rochelle and Hailey came back out. They both look relieved to be in clothes that didn't have blood and various zombie parts on them.  
He went into the room they had left and quickly dressed in the dark jeans, green shirt, and blazer he had found. Like he told the kid back at the house, he still had standards.  
"Nick, come look at this!" Coach called from the main room.  
Nick walked out and tossed his suit into the growing pile of discarded clothes. Coach had been right, the new clothes were much better than trying to make do with the suit. He made his way over to the door where everyone was clustered, staring at something out the window.  
"What is it?"  
Alex and Rochelle moved so he could see. "Straight ahead, on the newspaper dispenser." Rochelle told him.  
Nick squinted into the dark. As his eyes adjusted he made out a figure crouched on the boxes, motionless and silent. A hoodie hid its face from view.  
"A Hunter?"  
"Why's he jus' sittin' out there?" Ellis asked from behind him.  
"Maybe he's waiting for us to leave?'' Rochelle said, "He can't get us now but he knows we'll leave eventually?"  
"Maybe.” Nick murmured. He didn't take his eyes off the infected. _What do you want?_  
The Hunter emitted a low growl and leapt into away into the dark.  
"Well that was weird." Rochelle said, breaking the silence. "Never seen a Hunter do that before."  
Nick shrugged and yawned, "Whatever. He can't do anything to us. I'll shoot him in the morning if he's still hanging around." He went into his bedroom.  
"You couldn't hit a Boomer if he was standing right in front o' you!" Ellis called after him. He grinned and started arranging his blankets for sleep.  
Coach chuckled at the mechanic. "Ah well, time to hit the hay." he said with his own yawn. He followed after Nick.  
Alex picked up Hailey and they said their good nights before retreating into their own room.  
"Are ya takin' first watch Ro?" Ellis asked from the floor. "I can do it if ya wanna sleep."  
Rochelle settled into the chair set up near the door. She smiled at the grogginess in the mechanics voice. "No sweetie you go ahead and sleep."  
"Well, alright. But you better wake me up for second shift. Don't try goin' all night." He replied sleepily.  
Rochelle laughed softly, "Goodnight Ellis."  
"Night Ro," Came the near inaudible reply.  
 _Always thinking about everyone else._ Rochelle shook her head and laid her pistols in her lap. She settled in for a, hopefully, uneventful watch.

* * *

 

Rochelle jerked awake. _Crap! How long was I out?_ She peered through the bars of the door and was dismayed to see pale sky above.  
"I cannot believe I did that." Rochelle murmured angrily.  
"Did what?"  
Rochelle jumped and whirled to face the safe room. She saw Ellis sitting up, blinking sleep out of his eyes.  
Rochelle sighed, "I fell asleep. Who knows what could have happened?" She turned back to the door, mentally kicking herself.  
Ellis got to his feet and stretched. "Oh Ro, it's ok. We've all-" He was cut off by the roar that thundered through the air.  
"TANK!" Rochelle screamed, seconds before a huge fist crumpled the steel door like cardboard. The crushed metal slammed into her and sent her flying across the room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	9. Time to Go

"ROCHELLE!"

Nick was jolted awake by Ellis' scream. He leapt off the mattress and caught the pack Coach tossed him. The two grabbed their guns and raced out to see Ellis kneeling next to their friend.

Alex was there, Hailey clinging to his leg and staring towards the front of the safe room, terror all over her face. Nick glanced over and saw the Tank ripping away at the front of the safe room, trying to make a hole big enough to fit its massive body through.

"What do we do?!" Ellis yelled, "We're trapped!"  
"We'll whatever it is we have to do it fast!" Coach shouted. He hauled Rochelle to her feet, supporting her as she regained her senses.  
"The back door!" Alex replied as he hurried Hailey towards it.  
"It's blocked i'nt it?" Ellis yelled over the crack of his rifle, "All the trash back there!"  
Alex moved to the blank, gray door opposite where the Tank was tearing his way in. "I moved it away a few days ago, figured it’d be a good idea to have a backup plan”   
"All right people let's go!" Coach tugged open the door and pushed Hailey out. Ellis and Rochelle followed close behind.

Nick had taken Ellis’ place and was firing as fast as he could into the massive wall of flesh. The Tank roared even louder as he ripped away another huge section of wall.  
"Nick! It's time to go!" Alex yelled to the conman.  
It only took a second for Nick to fire the last bullets in the magazine. He turned and raced to the door.  
The Tank chose this moment to rip away the last bit of wall preventing him from getting in. He rushed into the room after the two fleeing survivors.  
"GO!" Alex and Nick sprinted out the door.

The safe room backed up to an alley. It was lined with trash on either side creating a narrow channel. Broken glass from the smashed windows above decorated the ground and it crunched beneath their feet as they ran.  
The others were waiting for them partway down the alley. They had their guns trained in every direction, senses on high alert for anything.  
"Alex!" Hailey pushed between Coach and Ellis' legs to rush at her uncle.  
"Stay there Hailey!" Alex told her. She skidded to a stop hearing the tone of his voice. Alex turned to Nick and spoke quickly, "The picture of her brother. It’s gone."  
Nick looked at him as he tried to catch his breath, "Yeah, so?"  
"It's the only one I have. Without it, I’m not going to be able to find him." He looked at Nick pleadingly, "I had it just a second ago, it’s got to be back there.”  
"Are you crazy?!" Nick looked at him incredulously, "There is a Tank in there, a _Tank_. I'm not going to anywhere near it." He turned his back on the ex-soldier.  
" _Please_."  
Nick stopped when he heard the broken voice behind him.  
"He's her whole world. It's all I can give her now."  
Nick sighed and turned around cursing himself, "Let's make this fast."  
Alex nodded.

"Nick!"  
Nick looked over his shoulder to Rochelle. "We'll be right there. Watch our backs." She started to protest but Nick ignored her and caught up with Alex.

The two carefully picked their way down the narrow alley, hyperaware of the frustrated roars the Tank still smashing apart the safe room. The door hadn't completely shut behind them, giving an occasional glimpse of mutated flesh.

"You see it?" Nick whispered, he was already regretting agreeing to help. His senses screamed at him to turn and run as far and as fast as he could.   
Alex pointed ahead of them with the barrel of his gun. A tiny piece of paper was lying barely two feet from the door.  
"You have got to be kidding me." Nick muttered. He shifted into a crouch as Alex kept creeping forward.

The Tank had stopped crashing around. Nick could hear its heavy breathing as it listened for any trace of the survivors.  
The few seconds it took Alex to reach the picture were excruciatingly long. Nick had a fleeting moment of victory as survivor picked up the paper. The moment was shattered as a high pitched screech came from above and echoed through the alleyway.

"Run!" Nick yelled to Alex, but he was drowned out by the answering roar of the Tank.  
Alex had barely taken a step before the wall exploded outward, knocking him to his knees and showering bits of stone and glass over everything.  
"Shit!" Nick raised his gun and shot was left of his ammunition into the Tank as it loomed over the dazed Alex.   
“Hey ugly!” Nick picked up a rock and flung it at the infected, hoping to distract it away from the downed survivor, but it was no use. Nick watched helplessly as the Tank picked up the soldier and threw him into the brick of a building.  
"ALEX!" Hailey screamed in terror.  
"Nick! DUCK!" Nick glanced over his shoulder and saw Coach and Ellis crouched down, aiming their weapons directly at him. He hit the dirt.

Bullets whizzed overhead, burying into the infected. The Tank had been batting aside trash bags, searching for its prey. It abandoned its search for Alex and looked for the cause of the annoyance. It's tiny eyes locked on Nick. It bellowed and started down the alley.

Nick pushed himself to his feet and tried to sprint away, but his feet were tangled in trash and he went down hard. His head smacked the pavement, making him see stars. He flipped on his back and blinked, trying to clear his vision. What he saw froze him in place.

The Tank was intent on him, running as fast as its huge mass would allow. Every step it took shook Nick to the core. _MOVE_ _!_ His mind screamed, but his muscles wouldn't respond. Another round of gunfire passed overhead but it did nothing to slow the infected.  
As it got closer, Nick cursed himself for freezing.   
The ground shook and he knew it was right on top of him. He braced for the pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	10. Things Learned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little short, there wasn't really a good place to cut between this one and the next.

_Ellis_  
  
Ellis watched as Nick and Alex crept back down the alley. "What are they doin?!"  
"Well whatever it is, when he gets back Im'a knock some sense into them." Coach said tensely.  
"Rochelle, I'm scared." Hailey’s small voice came from behind them.  
"It'll be ok sweetie." Ellis heard Rochelle tell the little girl.

Ellis kept his eyes locked on the two men as they cautiously advanced. He was so confused, Nick was never this reckless.   
_Hurry up Nick,_ the mechanic thought anxiously. He saw Alex point at the ground near the door. He continued forward while Nick crouched where he was.  
"Shit," Coach hissed, "Ellis look."  
Ellis followed Coach’s pointed finger. A dark figure was perched on the edge of the building that made up one wall of the alley. "Is that…?"  
"Hunter." Coach confirmed.  
Ellis reached for the pistol strapped to his thigh, confident he could hit the infected from this. Coach smacked his hand away, "No, the Tank will hear it!"

The Hunter looked back and forth between the two groups of survivors, as if deciding which would be the easiest catch. Ellis flicked his eyes back to Nick and Alex to see where they were. He saw Alex holding something in his hand and Nick motioning him to get moving.

Then the Hunter screamed.

The safe room exploded apart as the Tank roared and smashed his way outside. The flying pieces knocked Alex off his feet.  
"Rochelle! Stay with Hailey!" Coach yelled, "Come on Ellis!" The two of them took off down the alley.  
Ellis watched in horror as the Tank picked up Alex and tossed him aside like a rag doll.  
"ALEX!" Ellis heard Hailey scream from behind him.  
Ellis raised his gun, "Nick, duck!"

As soon as Nick hit the ground Ellis and Coach opened fire. The Tank turned as the bullets hit. It started running forward, heading straight for their friend on the ground.  
"Shit!" Coach cursed as Nick tripped and went down again. He frantically tried to reload, "Dammit Nick, move!"  
 _No, no, no!_ Ellis reloaded quicker than he ever had before and made sure every bullet found its way into the flesh of the Tank. "NICK!"

The Tank loomed above Nick. Thin streams of blood trickled from the bullet holes that peppered its body.

Ellis threw away his now empty AK and yanked his pistol from its holster.

The Tank raised its massive arms above its body.

With a cry Ellis fired the last few shots and dropped to his knees certain he was about to see his friend crushed.

The Tank’s arms fell, but not on Nick. The enormous infected wobbled and, with a final roar, fell to the side.  
A stunned silence filled the alley. Ellis stared at the dead Tank, his mind spinning.  
"Nick!" Coach ran by, snapping Ellis back. He scrambled to his feet and caught up to Coach as he reached the conman.

Coach crouched next to the prone survivor and lightly touched his shoulder. Nick flinched violently, his entire body tensing as he continued to stare down the alley.  
"Nicolas, it's Coach. The Tank's gone."  
Slowly, Nick turned his head and looked at Coach. Ellis nearly took a step back. Nick’s eyes were wide and there was something in them that Ellis had never seen before nor had ever thought he would.  
Terror.  
Ellis had seen the man face down hordes. He had navigated the flaming Vannah without blinking an eye. Ellis didn't think Nick knew how to be scared.  
He watched Coach help Nick to his feet. The conman shook his head a few times before saying something to Coach and glancing at the dead Tank. Ellis sighed in relief as Nick swore colorfully and kicked the infected.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	11. Pain

_Nick_  
  
Nick winced as his foot came in contact with the rock hard muscles of the Tank.

"You sure you're ok?" Coach asked him again.  
"Yeah I'm fine. It never touched –"he broke off as Hailey came flying past him.  
“Alex!” she yelled.  
“Shit!” Nick pushed Hailey aside and threw a few of the trash bags away.  
Alex was lying on his back; blood caked the side of his face but, his eyes were open. He groaned as Nick grabbed his hand and hauled him to his feet. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I've had worse."  
"Alex!" Hailey pushed past the others and latched onto her uncle. "Are you ok?!"  
He grimaced and gently pulled her arms from around him. "I'm ok," he told her with a tight smile, "but I think I might be a bit sore for a while."  
"Yay!" Hailey did a small jump then gently took her Uncle's hand. "I love you Alex."  
"I love you too girlie."

Nick rolled his eyes at the scene, "Yeah, yeah everyone's happy. Can we get out of here?"  
Ellis chuckled, "Love you too Nick!" He picked up the conman's empty weapon and held it out. Nick grabbed the gun and swiftly reloaded it with a new magazine from his backpack. He just wanted to get as far as possible from this place. He set off down the alley but had only taken a couple of steps before he heard a grunt of pain.

Alex was doubled over, one arm wrapped around his ribs and the other holding on to Coach for support.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Hailey asked fearfully.  
"Might be a rib, that Tank hit ya pretty hard." Coach lightly probed Alex's side but pulled back when the man sucked in a pained breath. "Something's screwed up in there." Coach said.  
"Where can we take 'im?" Ellis asked as he scanned the rooftops, "Safe room's busted and we can't cross the river."  
"What about that house Coach and Nick found? You said there were people there." Rochelle suggested.  
"Good idea Ro. We can try there." Coach replied, "We gotta be careful though, Nick and I cleared it out pretty well, but who knows what might have moved back in." Coach carefully put Alex's arm around his shoulder, taking as much weight as he could.  
Alex's face twisted in pain and he leaned heavily on the other survivor. Hailey looked up at him, fear still apparent on her face. Then, suddenly, she straightened up and announced, "Don't worry Alex! We'll fix you just like we did Ellis and then we'll all go find Jamie!" she smiled broadly, pleased with herself.  
Everyone chuckled at the little girl's enthusiasm.  
Ellis shouldered both his pack and Alex's, "Alright, let's get movin' 'fore it gets dark!"

* * *

 

It was slow going. They had to stop frequently to give Alex a chance to catch his breath. Nick and Rochelle took point, watching for any surprises. Coach, supporting Alex, followed behind with Hailey. Ellis was bringing up the rear, keeping an eye out for anything that got too curious.  
Nick glanced around quickly; he was becoming increasingly uneasy as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Rochelle nudged him softly, "You ok?"  
"Yeah. Fine." He replied in his usual fashion.  
"Alright."  
Nick looked at her, "What? You aren't going to psychoanalyze me, give me an inspirational quote or two?"  
She didn't answer. Now Nick knew something was going on. "Hey! We're going to be living the cushy life when get to the house! We'll stay there, rest up, and figure out what we are going to do next. No sleeping on moldy beds for a few days!"  
She smiled slightly, but then sighed and looked at the ground.  
Nick looked at her with confusion. She was usually right there with Ellis on the "everything is going to be ok!" scale. "What's eating you?" he asked.  
She mumbled something incoherently.  
"What?"  
"It's my fault." She said so quietly he almost didn't hear.  
"What is?"  
"All of this! Alex is hurt, you almost..." She couldn't bring herself to say it. "It's all my fault."  
"What do you mean? It's not like you went up and punched soldier over there into a wall." Nick almost smiled at the visual, "It was a _Tank_ , how is that on you?"  
"Because I fell asleep!" Rochelle replied fiercely, "If hadn't done that I would have seen it coming and warned everyone!"  
Nick stopped and sighed, a little exasperated at her outburst and gave her a look. "We don't need you thinking like that. Remember when I fell off during watch in Savannah? We woke up to the sweet smell of Boomer bile! That horde lasted 15 minutes!  
"And Ellis? He passed out and a Smoker got you!"  
She looked down again and Nick reached out to shake her shoulders slightly. "We've all done it." Everything else was bad enough, he didn’t need to be dealing with any guilty consciences on top of it.

"Everything ok?"

Nick turned and saw Coach and Alex slowly catching up.  
"Yep! We're good!" Rochelle gave them a strained smile and shook off Nick's hands.  
Ellis came up behind the pair and slung his gun over his shoulder, "Hey Coach, I'll take over now."  
Alex spoke up, "Actually, how about you Nick? Ellis we need you keeping watch."

Nick eyed the man, wondering what he was getting at. They had been taking turns since the alleyway and now it was Ellis’ turn.   
Alex seemed to notice Nick's hesitation and explained quickly, "No offense Ellis, but you're smaller than me, so I feel like I'm squishing you."  
"No offense Alex, but you kinda were." He grinned and brought his gun back to his hands.  
"Whatever." Nick shrugged and stepped to Coach. They slowly transferred Alex to Nick. The soldier took shallow breaths as his body complained about the movement. Nick waited until he felt the other survivor grip his shoulder securely, "You good?"  
"Yeah, fine." Alex said through gritted teeth.  
Hailey took his other hand and the group continued down the road.

Only a few minutes later Alex slowed, then stopped all together. He sagged against Nick, "I've gotta sit." He gasped.  
"We're almost there!" Nick urged the man. The light was fading too fast for Nick's liking and he didn’t want to be caught outside in the darkness. He tried to pull the man along but stopped when the soldier grabbed his jacket.  
"Nick. I _have_ to stop." Alex looked at him pleadingly. The look in the other man's eyes was enough to convince Nick, and as carefully as he could, he helped Alex sit against a ruined storefront.  
"Alex, what's wrong?" Hailey kneeled beside him.  
He smiled at her, but his eyes stayed tight with pain, "I just have to sit for a little bit. Remember when you got real sick last year and you couldn’t get out of bed for too long?"  
"Yeah, I remember! I kept getting super tired really fast! Is that what's happening to you?" She looked at him curiously.  
"Yep, just like that." Alex squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep, pained breath. "C'mere Hails." He patted the ground next to him.  
Hailey gingerly sat down, just barely brushing his arm. Alex sighed and pulled her closer, his face twisting.  
"But I'm hurting you!" Hailey said quickly as she tried to squirm away.  
"I'm ok." Alex pushed some hair from the girl's face and held her as tight as he could. "I love you very, very much Hailey. You know that right?" he said slowly.  
"Well duh!" She replied with a broad smile, "And I love you too!”  
Alex kissed the top of his niece’s head and rested his chin there. “I need you to remember something ok? Are you listening?”  
Hailey looked up, “What?”  
“When you find your brother, you stay with him alright? You don’t leave his side for _anything._ You tell him that Uncle Alex will knock him upside the head if he tries to go off by himself. Got that?”   
Hailey nodded quickly, “Alex, you’re kind of scaring me.”  
“Sorry sweetie, just wanted to make sure you knew that.” Alex ruffled her hair.  
“Hey!”

Nick turned away and looked at Ellis and Coach with a grim expression.  
"Ah shit man, that ain't fair." Coach said.  
Ellis looked between them confusedly, "What ain't fair?"  
Nick clenched his fists, "Life Ellis. Life isn't fair."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	12. Loss and Promises

Nick clenched his fists, "Life Ellis. Life isn't fair."

Alex sat with Hailey for a few more minutes before giving her a final squeeze. He looked down at his niece before glancing up at the street. "I think there's a garden a little ways down there." He pointed down the road, a small section of picket fence was barely visible through the thick vines covering it. "Maybe Rochelle will take you to see if there are any flowers?" Alex glanced up at Rochelle.  
Rochelle nodded quickly and held out her hand, "I'm sure we'll find something pretty!" Her voice was steady, but her eyes glistened with tears.  
"Are you sure?" Hailey asked her uncle.  
"Go on." Alex told her.  
"Ok!" Hailey jumped up and grabbed Rochelle's hand. She gave Alex a little wave and the two set off. The older woman glanced back at Alex.  
He nodded and mouthed, "Thank you."  
She gave a slight tip of the head in response and resumed talking with the girl.

Alex looked after them, pain evident in his face. Then, he let out a string of hacking coughs. As his hand left his mouth, Nick droplets of blood, bright red against the soldier’s pale skin.  
"Oh, _shit_." Coach crouched next to him, "What can we do?"

"Nothing."

"What're you talkin' about?" Ellis exclaimed, "We aren't jus' going to stand here and let you die!"  
Alex sighed and slowly, painfully, rolled up his shirt. They all stared at the enormous red bruise that covered the entire right side of his abdomen.  
"I've seen this before. It doesn't end well, even with a working hospital, and I don’t think you guys are exactly qualified to perform surgery in the middle of the street,” Alex dropped his shirt and rested his head back on the wall. His shoulders sagged as the pain finally completely caught up to him. He looked up at the survivors, "Thank you guys, for taking her.”

Coach put his hand gently on the other man’s shoulder, "Of course.  
“You four can get her to that camp, I know you can. I’ve had guys that were trained for combat who weren’t even half as capable as you are.”  
“We’ll get her there.” Coach told the man firmly.  
“Thank you.”  
Coach stood and moved toward the middle of the street, watching for any stray infected.  
Ellis put a big smile on his face, "Don't worry Alex, I'll teach her everything I know!"  
"Is that a good thing?"  
"Of course it is!" Ellis claimed. He turned to join Coach, not wanting to show Alex how hard he was trying to not cry.  
"Ellis."  
The mechanic looked over his shoulder, "Yeah?"  
Alex dipped his head, "Keep making her laugh."  
Ellis' smile faltered for a moment, "No problem."

Nick watched Ellis walk away. The mechanic's shoulders were hunched and he gripped his rifle too hard. The kid had never really gotten used to seeing the deaths of the uninfected, and it being someone he knew just made it all the worse.  
Alex began coughing again, harder and deeper than before. As the fit subsided he wiped away more blood from his mouth. "I need you to do something for me." He said as he reached into his jacket pocket with his other hand.  
Nick looked down at Alex's outstretched hand. A teenage boy smiled back at him with messy, dark hair nearly covering his eyes. Alex pressed the photo into Nick's hand, careful not to bend it. "That's about a year old. He should be seventeen now and his hair is shorter. He was evacuated from a summer camp outside the city and ended up somewhere across the river. That's where the military set up at."  
"You want us to go find this kid?" Nick asked incredulously.

"His name is Jamie."

"Absolutely not! You might be able to guilt the others into doing it, but I’m not risking it. We almost got blown up getting across the goddamn river the first time! What makes you think we'd go back?" Nick said.  
Alex opened his mouth but Nick cut him off, "How do you even know the camps are still there?" Nick knew he was being a dick to the dying man but he was on a roll, "They blew the bridges to keep the infected out! I've been on both sides, there are infected _everywhere_!"

The soldier suddenly grabbed Nick's shirt and yanked him to eye-level with surprising strength, "Cut the tough guy act Nick, I saw what happened in that alley."  
Nick glared at him, "You didn't see shit."  
"But I also saw you two weeks ago. You were not going to let that kid die. You care for those people whether you like it or not." Alex pushed the conman away weakly, his strength failing him. He took something off his neck and held it out to Nick.  
A pair of dog tags dangled from a simple chain.   
Nick hesitated before taking them. The chain pooled in his hand and Nick shut his fingers, the metal clicking together softly.  
"You protect her. You protect her and find her brother," Alex's voice was low and threatening even as it came out in a whisper. "He's all she's got left."  
"We can barely take care of ourselves." Nick replied, but there was no bite left in his words. The soldier had voiced exactly what Nick thought would never happen and didn’t want to accept.  
Alex's head slumped against the wall and he smiled weakly, "You already have one kid to take care of, I'm sure you can handle another." The grin slipped from Alex's face and was replaced by a grimace of pain. “Don’t let Hailey see me like this.” He rasped, “She should have a good last memory.” His voice trailed off.   
"I won't." Nick promised.  
The soldier's eyes closed and he took a few shallow breaths. Then, he was still.

They worked quickly. Coach and Ellis moved the body inside, out of the open and away from anything that might try to desecrate it. Nick found a large box and unfolded it, covering the corpse. Ellis produced a black marker and had written "Alex" on the wall.  
"What's his last name?" the mechanic whispered.  
"Give me that." Nick snatched the marker and with a quick glance at the ID tags, finished the words.  
"Alex Meyer. Uncle, brother, soldier, friend." Coach read. He nodded solemnly, "That's good Nick."  
"Yeah, whatever." He pushed the marker into Ellis’ chest before turning towards the door. As Coach and Ellis passed him after saying their final goodbyes, Nick looked over his shoulder at the fallen survivor. He nodded once before hurrying after the others.

As they neared the garden Hailey tore around the corner, yellow daisies clutched in her fist, "Look what Rochelle found!"  
She ran past Coach and Ellis but stopped short when she saw only Nick. "Where's Alex?" she looked around and noticed Ellis, "Why do you have his backpack?"  
Ellis looked at the bag in his hand as if it was going to explode.  
Rochelle moves to crouch in front of the girl, "Hailey-,"  
"Where is Alex?" Hailey asked again.  
"He isn't with us." Coach said as gently as possible.  
"What do you mean? What did you do to him?!" her voice rose.  
Rochelle reached out to Hailey to try and calm her, "Sweetie, that Tank hurt him really bad and,"  
Hailey shoved Rochelle away and backed up a step. "You're lying! Nothing can hurt him!" The others flinched at the shrillness of her voice and adjusted their grips on their guns.

She suddenly took off past Rochelle, "ALEX!"  
Nick caught her easily.  
"Let go, let me go!" she squirmed in his grip.  
"Nick…"  
He looked at Coach to see him pointing down the street. Nick glanced over his shoulder and saw a single infected shuffling onto the street, drawn in by the commotion.  
 _Time to go._

Without letting go of her wrist, Nick shouldered his gun and picked up Hailey, pushing her face into his chest. She beat at him with her fists, her cries muffled by his jacket. She continued to scream at Nick, demanding him to let her go. Nick simply held her tighter. The group set off at a slow run towards the setting sun.

Nick didn't look back. None of them did. Their thoughts were on the safety they hoped was still there.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	13. Plans

                It was dusk by the time the survivors reached the neighborhood. The sounds of the infected had been growing in volume and more than once they heard the signature noise of a special infected.

            Hailey had cried herself out. She had fought Nick nearly the whole way, her struggling growing weaker and weaker until she slumped in his arms. She slept fitfully, occasionally murmuring and letting out quiet gasps.

            As they approached the wall, Coach pointed out the small guardhouse where the manual lock had been. Ellis scaled the wall and opened the gate. He shut it behind them as soon as Rochelle got through, all of them wincing as it clicked shut.

            “Slow,” Coach whispered. The street looked empty but they knew too well how fast a horde could appear out of the darkness.

            “This is freaky,” Rochelle breathed.

            Nick nodded. It was exactly what he thought the first time and the darkness only heightened the feeling of emptiness.

            The group reached the house without incident. They climbed the porch quickly, relieved to be out of the open. Coach knocked softly at the door.

            No answer.

            He tried again, this time a bit harder.

            Still nothing.

            Then he tried the handle and pushed the door open. He ushered everyone inside and shut it securely behind them.

            “Hello?” Ellis called out.

            “Ellis!” Rochelle hissed, “We don’t know if there’s anything in here.”

            “The door was shut and there wasn’t any blood on the porch or in here,” Nick pointed out. “Ellis, turn on your flashlight.”

            The hallway in front of them lit up as the mechanic swept the beam around.

            “Nick, their coats are gone.” Coach nodded to the open closet, the hangars empty.

            The survivors moved down the hall to where it opened into the kitchen. Nick readjusted his grip on Hailey and looked over Rochelle’s shoulder into the dark room.

            “Nothing.” Ellis whispered.

            “We’ll check out the rest of the house, you two stay here,” Coach gestured to Nick and Rochelle.

            Nick leaned up against the counter, allowing himself a moment to relax. He was fairly sure nothing lurked into the house. If there was, it would’ve attacked them already.

            Rochelle picked a leaf out of Hailey’s hair, “This is going to complicate things.”

            Nick nodded and was about to respond when Ellis came bounding into the room.

            “Well the house is clear!” He flopped into a chair and dropped his gun on the table.

            “Nick, there’s a couch in the next room you can put Hailey on.” Nick followed Coach into the darkened room.

Nick lowered Hailey onto the couch and untangled her arms from his neck. She curled tightly into a ball, a series of whimpers came from her mouth. Nick reached into his pocket and grasped the dog tags. He dropped them on the coffee table, Hailey would see them when she woke up.

            Coach tugged a blanket off the back of the couch and tucked it securely around the girl. He took a step back and sighed. “This is some messed up shit.”

            “What in the hell are we going to do Coach?” Nick asked, staring at the sleeping girl.

            “The same thing we always have, survive.” The older man replied.

            “It’s a bit more complicated now, don’t you think?” Nick said, gesturing at Hailey.

            “We just gotta deal with it. Now come on, let her sleep.”

            The two walked back into the kitchen.

 

            “Look what Ellis found!” Rochelle handed Nick a folded piece of paper as he entered the room, “It’s to you and Coach.”

            Nick unfolded the paper and read aloud,

            “Dear Coach, Nick, or whoever might find this, the army came back for us! They’ve given us five minutes to get our things and go with them. Thomas and Brian are doing that. The soldier I asked said there is a camp across the river and that there is only one bridge left. Just keep going north and you’ll find it! I hope you and your group make it here safely. We are leaving some of our food and supplies with this note. The soldiers are taking our guns though, sorry! Stay safe, Rachel, Brian, and Thomas.”

            Nick looked up at Rochelle, she smiled broadly and gestured to the counter behind her. On it several cans were stacked alongside a box of cereal and three boxes of crackers. A single tub of peanut butter sat off to the side. Two reusable water bottles sat filled to the top.

            “This is awesome!” Ellis had opened a box of crackers and was dividing up one sleeve. He gave each of the survivors a stack before munching on his own.

            They all sat the table. The only sound was the crunching of crackers. Nick stared at his for a moment before looking up. “We have to decide what we’re doing.”

            Coach nodded, “Right, we’ve got a little girl to keep safe.”

            “We should get to that camp as soon as possible,” Nick said, “we stay here two days at the most then go.”

            “Hailey just lost her Uncle, the person who has been keeping her safe through all of this.” Rochelle replied, “She’s not going to want to go anywhere.”

            Ellis frowned, “If we tell her we’re goin’ to find her brother though.”

            “She’s not going to believe us.” Nick leaned back and crossed his arms, “According to her, we are the ones who took her away from Alex.”

            They fell silent as they each considered their options.

            “Well it’ll do us no good to think of it now.” Coach said, “We’re all too tired. You guys sleep. I got first watch.” He left the kitchen, his gun over his shoulder.

            The others looked at each other then let out simultaneous yawns. Ellis grinned then hopped up off his seat. “Come on! They left us some sleepin’ bags, le’s go sleep in there with Hailey.”

            Nick rolled his eyes.

            Rochelle looked over at Nick sternly, “We can’t leave her alone, even in here.”

            Nick glared, “I wasn’t going to say anything!” He snatched a sleeping bag from Ellis and pushed passed Rochelle. He spread the bag out against the far wall, barely glancing at the girl still curled on the couch.

            Ellis and Rochelle settled down quickly, Ellis at the foot of the couch, Rochelle at the other end.

            “Night guys.” Ellis said quietly.

            “Night sweetie,” Rochelle whispered back. “Goodnight Nick.”

            “Yeah, night,” He rolled and faced the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	14. I Never Asked For This

Hours later Nick stared at the ceiling.   
Coach had come in half an hour before, quietly waking Ellis for his shift at watch and settling into sleep.   
Nick hadn’t slept at all, his mind spun with questions he had no answers to. _How are we going to get to that bridge without being killed? Hell, we barely made it across the first one!_ He groaned silently and shut his eyes. Had it really only been a few months since he stepped off that plane in Savannah, ready to gamble?  
“Nick?” A small voice broke through his thoughts. He opened his eyes and saw Hailey standing over him. She had the blanket wrapped tightly around her, the tips of pink sneakers peaked out from the bottom.   
Nick sat up and Hailey took a few quick steps backwards. Nick arched his back, sighing as it cracked. “You should be sleeping.”  
Hailey shook her head and hugged the blanket closer, “I can’t.” she whispered. She rocked on her feet. “Is Alex really…?” She stopped, as though she couldn’t bear to say the words. She stared at Nick, her eyes glistening with the tears she held back.  
Nick nodded once, not bothering to sugarcoat it, “Yeah he is.”  
“And it was that big one that did it?”  
He nodded again.  
“Oh,” she looked down at the floor, “Nick? I’m sorry I hit you.” Her voice cracked and she hunched her shoulders making herself even smaller.   
Nick said nothing to the little girl in front of him. He had never been good at this touchy-feely crap and her being a kid didn’t make it any different. Besides, he didn’t know her and therefore owed her nothing. The only thing he had to do was get her to the stupid camp and hand her over to her brother.   
“Go back to sleep.” He mumbled before lying with his back to her and shutting his eyes. A few moments later he heard her turn and shuffle back to the couch. The couch creaked slightly as she climbed up on it. It didn’t take long before the sounds of muffled crying could be heard. Nick listened for a moment before getting up, retrieving his gun, and going to relieve Ellis.

Nick was still on watch when Rochelle poked her head around the corner, “You hungry?”  
He turned away from the window where the sky was slowly growing lighter, “Starving.”  
“Good! Ellis made us breakfast!”  
“You let the hick make us food again?”  
“Just get in the kitchen.”  
Nick stood and followed Rochelle into the kitchen, seriously questioning her sanity. The last time Ellis had “made” them a meal, he had sworn off baked beans and canned peaches for the rest of his life.   
Ellis thrust a paper towel to both of them as they entered the kitchen. He was grinning from ear to ear, obviously pleased with himself.   
“Thanks sweetie.” Rochelle took the offered napkin and leaned against the island.  
Nick eyed the plain looking crackers in his hand, suspicious of what might be in the middle of the tiny sandwiches.   
“It’s jus’ peanut butter Nick.” Ellis told him.  
“If it’s anything else, I swear to you that you will not like what happens.” Nick bit into the cracker, relieved to find that it was in fact, only peanut butter.   
Ellis grinned and hopped up on the island next to Rochelle. “Told ya so.”  
Nick leaned against the door frame, wanting to stand after the long watch. He raised another cracker to his mouth, but before he could eat it he felt a tug on his jeans. _What the-?_ He glanced down and to his surprise, there was Hailey. She had a finger through one of his belt loops, the other hand held the ID tags as they hung from her neck. The little girl peeked out from behind Nick’s legs into the kitchen.  
The conman looked up, completely unsure of what to do. Rochelle smiled and went back to talking with Ellis. Coach simply chuckled at Nick’s confusion.  
 _Jerks._ Nick took a step towards the table, stopping when Hailey’s finger didn’t come loose. He turned sharply, forcing her to let go. She took a step back and stared up him. “Look kid,” he said, “I don’t know about you, but I would rather sit down to eat.” He moved to the table and sat, leaving Hailey standing alone in the doorway like a deer in the headlights. Finally, she moved and took the chair in-between Nick and Rochelle. Ellis hopped off the counter and placed a paper towel in front of her. “There ya go!”  
Hailey picked up one of the sandwiches and nibbled on it.  
They all ate in silence for a few moments before Ellis spoke up, “Did I ever tell ya about the time my buddy Keith-”  
The survivors groaned at the mention of Keith.  
Ellis grinned, “Jus’ listen! Anyway, Keith would always tell people he lived by the water. All it really was was this tiny crick in his backyard! Well this one time Keith decided he was gonna jump it with ‘is bike! So ‘e went and built hisself a ramp. Took ‘im almost a whole day! So, day ‘e did it ‘e gave me his camera and set me up a little ways away. ‘e gets ‘is bike going fast as ‘e can! When ‘e hit the ramp the whole thing jus’ fell apart!” Ellis laughed and slapped his knee. “Oh man, Keith got 38 stitches that day.” The mechanic fell silent, smiling at the memory.  
“Just when I thought the last one showcased the best stupidity.” Nick muttered.  
The corner of Rochelle’s mouth twitched up, “I don’t know Nick, the one about the four-year-old was pretty bad.”  
“’ey! I told you that was an accident, we din’t _mean_ to kidnap ‘er!” Ellis protested.  
“How do you accidentally-” Nick was cut off as Hailey suddenly grabbed his sleeve and let out a tiny whimper.  
“What are you doing?” Nick tried jerking his arm away from the girl, but she held on tight. Nick followed her wide-eyed gaze past Rochelle toward the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. The half shut blinds gave a small glimpse of the overgrown grass. A single infected was hobbling across the yard, its ankle twisted at a grotesque angle. They watched as it slowly moved to the next yard, out of sight.   
Ellis hopped up and twisted the blinds shut. He returned to his seat, munching on his last cracker.  
Hailey’s hand left Nick’s arm and wrapped around her knees as she drew them to her chest. She tucked her head into her arms, shaking slightly.   
“Nick!” Rochelle hissed.  
Nick glanced at her, “What?”  
She tilted her head at Hailey, “Do something!”  
Nick stared at her in silence and shrugged his shoulders before finishing the sandwich in his hand. What did she think he could do?  
Coach rolled his eyes and got to his feet. He scooped the little girl up and carried her into the living room, speaking softly.  
Rochelle looked at Nick, obviously angry.  
He threw his hands in the air, “What?”  
“You couldn’t say anything?”  
“What could I have possible said?”  
Rochelle shot to her feet, “Oh I don’t know Nick! Maybe ‘hey don’t be scared!’” She pointed a finger at him, “You seem to forget that less than a day ago she still had Alex. Remember him? The person who kept her safe through all of this! You being an ass isn’t helping anything!” With that, she stalked out of the room.  
Nick scowled and looked at Ellis. Ellis looked down, avoiding Nick’s eyes.  
“Oh don’t tell me you agree with that!”  
Ellis scurried out of the kitchen.  
 _I never asked to take care of a kid._ Nick thought as he sat alone, _Coach and Rochelle are perfectly capable of that._ After a few minutes of stewing, he wandered upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	15. Concession

The first door he opened was a bathroom. The small window let in a small amount of light from the outside, illuminating the dark blue walls. There was nothing of interest so he shut the door and moved on.   
This one had to belong to Thomas. Nick stepped in and surveyed the room. The kid liked video games, that much was obvious. Posters covered the walls showing off games Nick knew and some he had never heard of. The bed was unmade, the top blanket missing and one corner of the fitted sheet undone. A few pieces of clothing were scattered on and around the bed. A small T.V. sat in the corner on a low bookshelf where one entire shelf was dedicated to the games of the console that sat on the floor. Nick wrinkled his nose, the room smelled of cheap cologne and hormones.   
Nick left without disturbing anything and opened the last door on the floor. It turned out to be the master bedroom. Nick didn’t bother going in, it looked similar to Thomas’, drawers open and a few pieces of clothing littering the floor. The only difference being that the bed was made.   
“Nick!” he heard a shout from below.  
“Up here!” he answered Ellis and poked his head out of the room.  
“Meeting in the kitchen!”

The four survivors gathered in the kitchen.  
“Where’s Hailey?” Ellis asked as he hopped on to his spot on the counter.  
“In the living room.” Coach replied as he settled at the table. Nick took the chair to the right of him as Rochelle sat at his left.  
“Here’s the deal,” Coach clasped his hands together on the table and leaned forward, “we need to get that girl safe and sound to her brother. We are leaving day after tomorrow for that bridge. Today, Ellis and I are going to scavenge through the houses. Nick and Ro, you guys are staying here to watch Hailey. We’ll switch it up tomorrow.” he glanced around the kitchen, “Any questions?”  
“What do you want us to do here?” Rochelle asked.  
“Distract Hailey as much as you can. Maybe try and get her to talk. She hasn’t said a whole lot since she got here.” Coach replied, “It might be good for her.” He stood and grabbed his backpack from the floor.   
“Nick.”  
“What?”  
“Be nice.”  
Nick scowled, “I’m always nice.”  
Coach ignored him and gestured to Ellis, “Let’s go Ellis.”  
Rochelle followed the two out of the room and Nick was left alone.  
He listened to the others as they got ready to go. He heard the click of magazines as they were inserted into weapons, a few hushed goodbyes, and then the sound of the front door as it shut.  
Rochelle strode back into the kitchen and looked sternly at Nick, her hands on her hips. “We need to talk.”  
Nick groaned, “Here we go.”  
“I’m serious Nick.” Rochelle sat across from him, “We are leaving in two days and that girl has to be protected.”  
“You think I don’t know that?” Nick replied. “We just do what we’ve always done, watch each other.”  
“It’s not that simple Nick! You saw what happened this morning. She froze at one zombie when she had four people around her and a wall between her and it. She’s _terrified_. She can’t do that out there!”  
Nick threw up his hands, “What do you want me to do about it? Hug her and tell her everything will be ok? In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t exactly have that luxury!”  
Rochelle ignored him, “I think it would help if she knew she could protect herself.”  
Nick snorted and crossed his arms, “What, you want to give her a gun?”  
Rochelle stared at him, eyebrows raised.  
“You’re serious?” Nick replied incredulously, “She’s like six!”  
“She’s eight.”  
“Oh, what a difference!”  
Rochelle stood and removed her pistol from its holster. She slapped it on the table and slid it towards Nick. “Hailey is going to learn and you are going to teach her.”  
“What?” Nick stood too and glared at her, “No. _Hell no_. Why would I do that?”  
“Because Alex trusted you to keep her safe.” With that, Rochelle walked out. Nick heard a chair scrape down the hallway and knew she had set up by the door to keep watch. He sighed in frustration. _Is everyone going crazy?_ He picked up the weapon, fully intending to chuck it at Rochelle.  
“I want to learn.”  
Nick stopped in the middle of the kitchen and looked at the girl. She fidgeted and the dog tags around her neck knocked together softly.  
“What?”  
She looked up at him, her eyes wide, “I want to learn how.” She pointed at the gun in Nick’s hand. “Alex was going to teach me, but then Ellis got hurt and then,” her voice caught. She took a deep breath, “I want to be able to help.”  
“No.”  
“Why not?” she asked.   
Nick showed her the weapon, “I am not going to let you run around with this. You will end up shooting yourself.”  
“No!” she yelled, “I’m tired of not being able to do anything! Alex is-,” she squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, “I couldn’t do anything to help and now Alex is gone and there’s no one else to teach me!”  
Nick was surprised; he hadn’t expected her to scream at him. But still, she was eight. He didn’t want this kid to be anywhere near him with a loaded gun, hell, Ellis still made him nervous. Hailey stood in front of him, back straight and eyes filled with determination mixed with the pain of loss, and Nick sighed with frustration. What am I doing?  
He checked the safety on the pistol before setting it down on the floor and sliding it towards Hailey. She jumped when it bumped into the toes of her sneakers.  
“Pick it up.”  
“What?”  
“Pick it up.” Nick repeated.  
Gingerly, as though she was handling a bomb, Hailey lifted it off the floor. She held it at arm’s length with the barrel pointed down, “Now what?”  
“Now you carry it. You put it down, we start over.”  
“But it’s heavy!” Hailey complained.  
“Nick scowled, “What? Did you think I was going to carry it around for you? You want to learn, this is part of it.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.  
“Wait!” he heard her run after him.  
Nick stood in front of Rochelle. “Keep her out of my way for a while.” He said.  
Hailey ran up to his side, still holding the gun away from her body. Nick didn’t miss Rochelle’s smirk when she saw the girl. Nick glared and stalked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
